The Internet is a fearsome battle of sentiments. We're encouraged to reveal how we feel about everything from forced repatriation to Moulinex food processors, and the sheer tonnage of opinion amassing out there is terrifying.

Gauging our precise feelings on any topic has become a hotly pursued holy grail among web visionaries. But until that's accomplished (possibly never) the public's online perception of, well, the public's online perception will continue to be craftily massaged.

As we trust a complete stranger's opinion marginally more than a company or body invested in selling us a product or an idea, one review or opinion posted on a website can carry disproportionate weight.

It's been illegal in the EU for companies to masquerade as consumers online for almost two years, but the law is impossible to enforce, and the practice is still rampant.

After all, if it's easy for me to go online and pretend to be a woman (I'm not saying I do, honestly) it's not hard for an employee to pretend to be a delighted customer - also known as astroturfing.

Of course, over-hyping the positive qualities of a surround-sound speaker system isn't as serious an issue as, say, the Chinese government paying bloggers to exalt their economic policies, but equally confusing for those seeking the truth.

A survey by reevoo.com shows that while 77 percent of us rely on reviews or ratings to make purchases, 44 percent aren't aware that reviews might be bogus.

New laws will continue to battle deception, for example, from December, bloggers and tweeters in the US are duty bound to mention in their reviews if they receive a product free. But compliance will still rely on honesty, a quality not over-abundant on the web.

So, as ever, the most reliable word of mouth is the one where you can actually see someone's lips moving, and you're pretty sure they haven't been paid to move them. - The Independent